Reflecting on resilience: What we learnt from series one of Farming Focus™

From soil health and climate adaptation to mental wellbeing and bovine TB, the series explored resilience from many angles. While farming faces increasing pressure from weather extremes, policy change and market uncertainty, the conclusion reached was simple. Resilience starts with people.

Resilience is more than coping

For Liz Bowles, resilience is about responding positively to whatever challenges arise.

“The ability to respond to a range of different situations in ways that are positive” is how she describes it, comparing resilient farm businesses to Exmoor ponies rather than thoroughbreds. They may not be perfect for every situation, but they can cope when conditions become difficult.

James Daniel agrees, describing resilience as both a physical and mental capacity.

“[It's] about the ability both physically and mentally to deal with challenging events that happen all of a sudden,” he says.

Both guests stress the importance of mindset. Whether facing extreme weather, disease outbreaks or financial pressures, resilience is often shaped by how farmers respond rather than the challenge itself.

Working on the business, not just in it

One theme repeated throughout the series has been the value of creating space to think.

James believes the most resilient farmers are those who dedicate time to working on their business rather than constantly working in it. Planning, reviewing performance and looking ahead helps farmers move from reacting to events towards shaping their future.

He challenges the long-held belief that being busy automatically means being successful.

“What we have to realise now is that across all levels, personally, environmentally and financially, being busier doesn't relate to success.”

His views echoes comments from previous guests across the series, particularly around mental wellbeing and maintaining perspective.

Soil, climate and communication

Many of the series' episodes focused on practical ways to improve resilience on farm. Healthy soils, better grazing management, reducing reliance on bought-in inputs and making more efficient use of manure all featured prominently.

Liz highlights the growing understanding of soil biology as one of the most exciting developments in agriculture.

“We need to think about our soils to feed the microbiota, feed the life in the soil, it then looks after the crops that we want to grow in that soil.”

The conversation also revisits the importance of communication. Farmers sharing their stories and engaging with the wider public was highlighted as an increasingly important part of building resilience across the industry.

“Telling stories is absolutely critical for agriculture's future success,” says Liz.

Series takeaways: perspective, planning and purpose

1.      Gain perspective by spending time away from the farm. 

2.      Create a plan and be prepared to adapt it. 

3.      Remember why you are farming.

Finishing their discussion on this last point, Liz believes enthusiasm and excitement for farming play a vital role in resilience.

“Being really excited and enthusiastic just makes things have a point.”

James agrees, encouraging farmers to think first about the life they want to build before deciding how the farm should operate.

The practices and systems matter, but resilient farms begin with resilient people.

Listen to the full episode at https://www.cornishmutual.co.uk/news-advice/farming-focus-podcast/ - also available via Spotify and Apple podcasts.

About our guests

Liz Bowles is Chief Executive Officer at the Farm Carbon Toolkit, having been with the organisation for 10 years. She was previously with the Soil Association and is both a World Agriculture Forum Council member and a Nuffield scholar. Liz farms in the Exe Valley near Tiverton in Devon, producing pedigree Shropshire sheep.

James Daniel was raised on a beef and sheep farm in Cornwall. He founded Precision Grazing in 2016 after returning from working in New Zealand on a beef station using a cell grazing technique known as Technograzing. He now works with farmers across the UK implementing pasture-based systems.

This episode was published in October 2023